Pomonal

Pomonal is a rural village on the eastern side of the Grampians National Park and 21 km south-west of Stawell.

Farm selections were taken up in the 1870s-80s and a primary school was opened in 1887. In the 1890s orcharding became widespread, and the settlement was know as Pomona (goddess of gardens and fruit). The name was changed to Pomonal in 1927. Orcharding intensified in the 1910s-30s, particularly when motor transport could carry cased fruit to the Stawell railway station. Tobacco was also grown in the 1930s and several farms had curing sheds.

A progress association built a hall (1904). About 8 km north of Pomonal a swamp was excavated for water supply for Ararat and named Lake Fyans (1914). There was also a post office (1904) and a store. Both the hall and the store were rebuilt in the 1930s-40s, and a multi-faith church building was constructed in 1935. Following community consultation plans were put in place in 2014 for a rebuild of the hall under the Pomonal Hall Precinct Development. The existing hall was found to be in poor condition due to termites and structural issues.

During World War II and the 1950s fruit growing declined and has not recovered. Pomonal, however, is on the road to Halls Gap and has a caravan park and its own annual wildflower festival. In 2006 the district was badly burnt by a Grampians bushfire. Pomonal's census populations have been:

The school had 29 pupils in 2014.